More than 530 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets from the 2019 graduating class have been matched to attend pilot training pending final qualifications and commissioning. This is a 26 percent increase over the 2018 class.

The Naming Ceremony — long a fighter pilot tradition — has apparently wound its way into the earliest stages of a pilot’s career. A Naming Ceremony for student pilots at Laughlin AFB, Texas, ultimately contributed to a squadron commander, group commander, and wing commander getting fired:

In a rare action, the Air Force said Wednesday it had relieved three commanders at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio.

The move came in the wake of incidents in the past year that included a female pilot being given a vulgar name during a drinking ritual and another Read more

Public releases have reported that President Trump will be the graduation speaker at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, while the US Air Force Academy will host Secretary of Defense James Mattis for the Class of 2018.

West Point’s speaker has not yet been announced [UPDATE: CJCS Gen Joseph Dunford has been announced for West Point as of 12 May). The Read more

“A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot was killed when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed over the Nevada Test and Training Range today at approximately 10:30 a.m. during a routine aerial demonstration training flight,” the Wednesday statement said.

Beginning in the summer of 2018, select AFJROTC cadets who applied for a new Fight Academy scholarship will attend an accredited aviation program at one of six partnering universities to get a private pilot license.

UPDATE: The pilots have now been identified by the Air Force. Capt. Paul J. Barbour, 32, was killed in the crash. Capt. Joshua Hammervold was injured. Both were instructors with the 87th Flying Training Squadron.

A US Air Force T-38 flying out of Laughlin AFB, Texas, crashed on Monday. One of those onboard survived; the other did not. The Air Force withheld the names.

Witnesses cited by the Del Rio News-Herald said they saw a parachute and a lone pilot descend to the ground near the crash.